Expiation (Shadeward Book 4) Read online

  Then there was a staccato buzz, a deep throbbing tone which cycled over and over again.

  Fitch opened his eyes and sat forward.

  ‘Hello?’ he said.

  He tweaked the dials on the radio. The tone altered, warbling back and forth before …

  ‘… to Mobilis, are you receiving me?’

  Fitch moved across. ‘Meru? That you, boy?’

  The voice was thin, but understandable.

  ‘Fitch?’

  ‘Yep. Can you hear me?’

  ‘I can.’

  ‘Coran’s going to be mighty pleased to hear from you,’ Fitch said, standing up and waving. ‘He’s coming, I can see him legging it down the pier. How you doing anyway?’

  ‘I’m alright.’ Meru’s voice was tense. ‘Let me know when Coran is there.’

  Fitch rolled his eyes and waited.

  Coran vaulted into the bridge.

  ‘Is he …?’

  ‘Right here,’ Fitch said, raising his eyebrows. ‘Waiting to talk to you.’

  ‘Will you excuse us?’ Coran asked.

  ‘Yeah, I know when I’m the unwanted cargo,’ Fitch grumbled and stepped outside. Coran waited until he was out of earshot.

  ‘Meru?’ Coran asked. ‘Can you hear me?’

  ‘I can hear you,’ Meru’s voice sounded sullen.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Coran asked. ‘We’ve been trying to reach you ever since …’

  ‘We’re fine,’ Meru replied, emphasising the first word. ‘No thanks to you.’

  Coran’s voice was guarded. ‘You don’t know what happened here, Meru.’

  ‘I know you let Zoella almost kill Kiri,’ Meru replied. His voice was bitter. ‘I know you let Ren fight.’

  Coran took a deep breath.

  ‘We had no choice with Ren,’ Coran replied. ‘And he volunteered. I wasn’t happy with it, but without you he was the only one who could fly those scorchin’ machines. He wanted to play his part and he did. We didn’t kill him … that was that girl you’re with.’

  ‘Kiri acted in self-defence!’

  ‘She attacked Amar,’ Coran said. ‘That wasn’t self-defence. Or did you forget that?’

  ‘She doesn’t deny it,’ Meru fired back. ‘But she deserved a fair trial, not murder.’

  ‘I agree,’ Coran said, keeping his tone level. ‘So does the Amaran council.’

  The radio went silent for a moment, with nothing but the faint crackle of static.

  ‘Then …’

  ‘Zoella took matters into her own hands,’ Coran said. ‘She did her mental thing on us; me, Mel, Fitch … even Daf and Creg. Knocked us out. We tried, but we couldn’t stop her. By the time we got to the cell you were both gone.’

  ‘You didn’t mean to kill Kiri?’

  ‘I won’t lie Meru,’ Coran said. ‘The thought did cross my mind, and Fitch’s too for that matter. But Mel stood up and defended her right to a trial. We agreed. Zoella didn’t.’

  There was another gap in the transmission.

  ‘I had to take her away,’ Meru said. ‘Otherwise …’

  ‘I hear you,’ Coran said. ‘I understand you and her are …’

  ‘Yes, we are.’

  ‘Is she with you now?’

  ‘Yes, she is.’

  ‘Then I can’t say too much,’ Coran said.

  ‘You can trust her,’ Meru replied. ‘She’s changed …’

  ‘She’s a witc … a priestess, Meru! An enemy of Amar,’ Coran replied. ‘I can’t trust her.’

  ‘She’s left the priestesses,’ Meru said. ‘She’s no longer one of them. They disowned her, abandoned her, tried to kill her too …’

  ‘Can’t take the risk,’ Coran said. ‘Now …’

  ‘Don’t ask me to come back,’ Meru said. ‘Because I’m not.’

  ‘Meru,’ Coran countered. ‘Think this through; you’re making yourself an accomplice to a war criminal. Lacaille knows how many laws you’re breaking. The Amaran council …’

  ‘I don’t care about the council,’ Meru said. ‘I’m not coming back.’

  Coran clenched his eyes shut for a moment, thinking rapidly.

  ‘I already figured that,’ Coran answered. ‘Alright. What I want to know …’

  ‘You want to know what we’re doing,’ Meru said. ‘We’re going to the Obelisk. Kiri has already spoken to it; she can do whatever it was that Zoella was going to do. We’ll get there and fix it, like we first planned to do.’

  ‘Makes sense,’ Coran said. ‘Do you need anything from us?’

  ‘No, we’re fine.’ Meru’s voice was abrupt and hostile.

  Coran sighed.

  ‘You plan on just leaving it like that then?’ he asked, his voice bitter. ‘That’s it is it? After all we’ve been through together? What about your parents? Thought you were part of my crew, Meru. Sounds like I was wrong.’

  There was another long pause. Coran could just hear a whispered conversation at the other end, but he couldn’t make out the words. It seemed Meru and Kiri were debating something.

  Meru’s voice came again.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Meru said. ‘I don’t mean to defy you. Even Kiri says I should turn back …’

  ‘Listen,’ Coran said. ‘We’re your shipmates and there’s people here who care about you. You don’t just put that aside, boy. Now, it makes sense for you to head to the Obelisk. I’ll trust your faith in Kiri. Not much we can do from here anyway. That’s your responsibility, get that Obelisk fixed.’

  ‘We will,’ Meru said. ‘We promise.’

  Static crashed across the radio transmission, drowning out Meru’s voice. Coran waited until it faded away again.

  ‘If you manage all that,’ Coran said. ‘That will go in yours and Kiri’s favour. If you decide to come back, I promise her a fair trial here, all above board. Zoella will be kept out of the way. That’s my responsibility … but it’s your choice.’

  ‘We understand,’ Meru replied. ‘How is … well … everyone else? The crew, my parents …’

  ‘Glad you asked,’ Coran said. ‘The crew’s fine, bit shocked and battered. Amar took a lot of damage, a lot of folks killed, but we survived. Mel’s working on the Mobilis, the ship’s pretty banged up, but we’ll get her running soon enough. Your parents are safe but worried, they want you back …’

  ‘Tell them not to worry. What about the priestesses, and the fleet?’

  ‘Ships were burnt up in the flare, not many of their crews survived,’ Coran answered. ‘And those that did are locked away. As for the priestesses, maybe you should ask Kiri.’

  ‘I already did,’ Meru said. ‘She doesn’t know.’

  ‘Well, then that makes three of us,’ Coran said.

  ‘And how is … Zoella?’

  ‘I’m not sure I can answer that,’ Coran said. ‘She was in a pretty bad way, lost her mind for a spell. I didn’t mean to cause any extra ruckus, but there was no other way to get hold of you …’

  ‘I understand. I didn’t want to hit her, I had no choice …’

  ‘Truth be told we’re not quite sure what to do with her right now,’ Coran said. ‘Everyone is pretty much scared of her. The council has her under house arrest. You left me with a right problem.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘The more I learn about these powers the less I trust them. We’re playing with fire. Be careful.’

  ‘I will.’

  ‘Listen Meru. Concentrate on the Obelisk. One less thing for me to be concerned with. I want regular catch-ups on the radio, clear? This time each stretch will do nicely.’

  ‘Aye, Captain.’

  ‘And the same deal as last time. No diversions, no detours, no little quests to satisfy your curiosity. Are we clear?’

  ‘As crystal.’

  ‘How close are you?’ Coran asked.

  ‘Difficult to tell. We should be able to see the edge of the vortex soon,’ Meru replied. ‘Weather is still clear now though.’

  ‘Good,’ Coran said. ‘We’ll
get this sorted. We’re a crew, remember?’

  ‘Yes. And thanks.’

  ‘Don’t mention it. I’ll speak to your parents for you. Good luck. We’ll speak soon.’

  The radio crackled and the signal was lost.

  ‘You can both stop eavesdropping now,’ Coran called out.

  Mel and Fitch peered over the door jamb of the bridge. They had been crouched below. Neither looked apologetic.

  ‘I’m glad he’s safe,’ Mel said. ‘You did well with him.’

  ‘Captain needs his crew,’ Coran said. ‘And if Meru can fix the Obelisk with that girl’s help, so much the better for all of us.’

  ‘So,’ Fitch said. ‘The witch girl who swore to end us all comes over here, firebombs us, kills one of our crew, wipes out half our people, smacks me around the head and breaks my arm, seduces Meru, makes off in one of our flying machines … and now we’re trusting her to save the life of everyone.’

  Coran nodded. ‘That’s about the shape of it.’

  Fitch sighed. ‘I could have shipped out with a sensible crew.’

  ‘Where would be the fun in that?’ Mel asked. ‘By the way. I’ve had an idea. Checked it out with Sandra and she says it will work.’

  Coran turned. ‘Oh aye?’

  ‘You know when we were becalmed that time when the ’tricity failed?’ Mel asked. ‘And how the Mobilis was struck by lightning in the storm at Drem?’

  ‘Not likely to forget it,’ Coran said, remembering how they had all got into trouble out in the Strathian Sea. ‘Touch and go for a while.’

  ‘The flying machines have these big … things,’ Mel said. ‘Sandra had a word for them …’

  ‘Bat…er…rees,’ Fitch added.

  ‘That’s it,’ Mel said. ‘Sandra said they can store ’tricity for emergencies, even if the source isn’t working. The Mobilis probably even had them at one point.’

  ‘So?’ Coran asked.

  ‘We can take some of the batteries from the big flying machine and put them in the Mobilis,’ Mel said. ‘Then, even if the ’tricity does fail again, or we have to travel through a storm, we can stow the sails and keep going. As long as we have a full charge we’ll …’

  ‘Be able to keep moving,’ Coran finished for her. ‘How long will it take?’

  ‘A reckon a couple of stretches if you can give me Daf and Creg.’

  ‘They’re yours,’ Coran said. ‘I want to be able to cast off as soon as you’re ready.’

  Mel smiled and jumped down from the bridge, yelling instructions to Daf and Creg.

  Fitch waited for a moment. Coran turned to him.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Well, you was doing so well at fixing all our woes, I figured you’d be addressing the big one next.’

  Coran sighed.

  ‘Zoella.’

  Fitch nodded. ‘She’s a danger to us all.’

  ‘That she is,’ Coran said. ‘But she’s part of this crew too.’

  Fitch looked alarmed. ‘You mean to bring her back on the ship?’

  Coran rubbed his chin.

  ‘I need to speak to the council first,’ he said. ‘Let’s talk about it after last chime. Tell the crew.’

  * * *

  The medical ship was heading sunwards, cruising across the thick shade forests of the continent. The shades were growing in size. Some were enormous; their bowls perhaps thirty hands in diameter, dwarfing anything that Meru or Kiri had seen before. The vegetation below looked thick and dense.

  ‘We’re going to struggle to find somewhere to land,’ Meru said, looking out of the cockpit windows. ‘This forest seems to go on forever.’

  Kiri was looking out of the other side.

  ‘It’s beautiful though. Such lush colours.’

  She was right. The cuplike bowls of the shades were coloured with all sorts of patterns and splashes of colour. Some were a bright garish green, so unlike the familiar red and dark hues they were used to.

  ‘I wonder why,’ Meru said. ‘There’s got to be a reason.’

  Kiri laughed. ‘Always questions with you, isn’t it?’

  ‘I’m a curious person.’

  Kiri nodded. ‘Yes, you are.’

  ‘Hey!’

  Lacaille was climbing higher into the sky as they continued on; they had to crane their necks forward to see it out of the windows. It wasn’t far from being overhead.

  Kiri turned to Meru.

  ‘Those people of yours are good friends,’ she said. ‘Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?’

  ‘We have to fix the Obelisk,’ Meru said.

  ‘You know what I mean. You’ve no intention of going back to them, have you?’

  ‘If I take you back you’ll stand trial,’ Meru said, looking at her. ‘An enemy of Amar, you killed Ren, even if it was in self-defence. What do you think they’ll do to you?’

  ‘We should face it,’ Kiri said. ‘I’d have no fear with you beside me. I have committed crimes, I should answer for them. I don’t want you to lose your friends and family on account of me, you know that.’

  ‘I won’t risk losing you again,’ Meru said. ‘Not for them, not for anyone.’

  Kiri tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. She reached across and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. Their conversation lapsed and they watched the landscape unroll beneath them for a spell.

  Kiri pulled her hand back and scratched an itch on her nose.

  ‘Do you really think we’ll be able to fix this Obelisk when we arrive there?’ she asked. ‘I mean … I don’t know anything about it. What am I supposed to do?’

  ‘Caesar said it would be able to tell us … tell you … what to do,’ Meru said. ‘That’s all we’ve got.’

  ‘I don’t even know what this Obelisk is supposed to do when it is working.’

  ‘It’s some kind … I don’t know, like a shield,’ Meru said. ‘It protects us from the flares, makes the ’tricity for all these machines … and it has something to do with the powers you have. Something our ancestors built generations ago to keep us safe.’

  ‘And administrators, ‘Kiri said. ‘I heard it, it called me administrator Kiri …? But I’m not an administrator, so what does it mean?’

  ‘I’m not quite sure,’ Meru said. ‘But people like you, with this gift … Caesar calls all of you administrators. You have something in you.’

  ‘Something in me?’ Kiri looked horrified.

  ‘Your powers, your abilities,’ Meru said. ‘Something makes that possible. Sandra, can you explain what an administrator is?’

  Both listened as Sandra responded.

  ‘Administrators are selected members of the population required to undertake leadership, governance, control and communication responsibilities as per Esurio founding statute,’ Sandra said.

  ‘The priestesses have a caste of administrators,’ Kiri said. ‘They organise things, keep records, make lists and so on. But I was never one of them. I was a healer, then a warrior. It sounds like the administrators were supposed to be in charge …’

  ‘That is correct,’ Sandra replied. ‘Administrators share responsibility for the welfare of all colonists upon Esurio and the operational governance of protective systems such as the Obelisk. Administrators have the signature nano-infusion complex that provides mesh communications, authentication and authorisation, remote telemetry and knowledge management.’

  Kiri looked blankly at Meru.

  ‘Yeah, that’s where it gets weird,’ he said. ‘I have no idea what most of that means. I think the nano-infusion thing is what gives you your gifts, but it seems clear people with this power were supposed to run things.’

  Kiri was thinking it through. ‘So the priestesses were sort of right … we were always taught we were supposed to be in charge.’

  A thought occurred to Meru.

  ‘Sandra, are only women administrators?’ he asked.

  ‘That is correct,’ Sandra replied

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Esur
io governance records indicate that only female colonists were selected for the administrator role.’

  ‘So,’ Kiri said. ‘Women were given the gift, they were supposed to look after all Esurio, keep things working. How long ago was this?’

  ‘The date is round 2307,’ Meru said. ‘Maybe it was that many rounds ago.’

  ‘Thousands of rounds?’

  ‘That’s when we first got here, after all.’

  ‘Got here?’ Kiri asked. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Caesar told me some other things; you’ll find this hard to believe.’

  ‘All of this is hard to believe!’ Kiri laughed.

  ‘Do you remember back in Nireus?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘There was a light in the sky, high above the clouds.’

  Kiri shrugged.

  ‘There were lots of strange lights in the sky. Lots of tiny dots. They were cold and hard, I didn’t like them. So what?’

  ‘This one was moving. I asked Caesar about it. I’d calculated some numbers on it and they didn’t make sense. He didn’t want to tell me, but Zoella forced him to.’

  ‘And?’

  Meru swallowed.

  ‘That light is a ship, a ship that came from a place called Earth. It’s how we got here.’

  Kiri frowned. ‘Got here?’

  ‘To Esurio.’

  Kiri shook her head. ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘We don’t come from Esurio,’ Meru said. ‘Us, people, folk. We come from another place, another world. Think about it, all the creatures have three eyes, we only have two. They all have fans to cool themselves, we sweat. We sleep … and they never do.’

  Kiri thought about it for a moment.

  ‘This isn’t our home? We come from another place? Up in the sky? What did you call it?’

  ‘Earth.’

  ‘Strange name. Where is this … Earth?’

  ‘So far away it sounds impossible,’ Meru said. ‘It’s one of those dots in the sky you don’t like.’

  Kiri blinked, trying to work it out.

  ‘That makes no sense at all,’ she complained.

  ‘We came from Earth,’ Meru said, trying again. ‘It’s very far away. We came in a ship and arrived here on Esurio.’

  ‘But … why?’ Kiri asked.

  ‘Something went wrong on Earth,’ Meru said. ‘Caesar wasn’t very clear, but we couldn’t live there any more, so we came here.’